When Rachael was a wee tot and her mom was in school, I was in charge of her in the mornings. Nearly every day, we had oatmeal for breakfast, very occasionally venturing off into the Malt-O-Meal arena, but not too often. I had perfected the oatmeal recipe so that it was just the way we liked it. Rachael, ever the picky eater, was one of the few people I know who was willing to branch out a bit in the matter of oatmeal, so we frequently had fruits or nuts in it. Then, Rachael went to school and her mom fixed her breakfast every day, and years went by without us having oatmeal. The specifics of my recipe were lost in the mists of time. Now, once again, I am fixing Rachael breakfast, and once again, we are fans of oatmeal, sometimes even having it for dinner. Here is the kicker: I am going to share my secret recipe with you!! We are talking Quaker’s Old Fashioned rolled oats here. The package gives two options – one for smoother, mooshier oatmeal, and one for oatmeal with a bit more texture. 
The difference depends on when you add the oats to the water – add them when it is cold for mooshy, and when it’s boiling for a more al dente dish. We use a 2:1 ratio. For instance, two cups of water to one cup of oats. This is significantly more oats than the package calls for. Divide the oats in half, and add one half to the cold water. Add your firm or dried fruit at this point as well - later, for fruit you don't want to be cooked. A chopped apple and some dried cranberries are an excellent choice. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often so that it doesn’t burn. When it bubbles, add the second half of the rolled oats, and give it a few stirs – for about 10 more seconds. Let it sit off the heat for a minute or two, and serve it with brown sugar (or white, or honey, or whatever) and milk. Yummers! Now that Tom’s food choices are so circumscribed, we have been having oatmeal or Malt-O-Meal often. Today we added blueberries and nectarines. Michael is inspecting my dish of it, and he approves. I meant to take a picture before I added the milk, which turned purple instantly, but I forgot.Rachael is fixing Tom some iced tea, another of the favored food items.
3 comments:
Rachael wants to know why no one has commented on her picture!
Rachael? Is that you? When did you turn into such a good looking woman! Its very hard to believe, since you were only 5 years old when I met you... Remember, be very careful that you only use your great powers to do good. The Earth awaits your next move. '-_-'
Now that look would put any ill behaved man in his place! Sultry latin looks. My mum was latin and although you may not be you colouring and good looks are like hers were.
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